Korean Job Discussion Forums

[esetters21]

Ok I'm not a complainer usually, but this is getting out of control. My school is an English immersion school so I knew what I was getting into...sort of. Let me preface this by saying that I taught in America prior to coming here, so I know that teaching can sometimes be a time consuming job.

Here are the specifics for kindergarten. This does not include the elementary classes that I teach as well.

Our day is filled with not only English lessons; but math, science, art, music, creative arts, phonics, gym and blah blah. Ok that's fine. I can handle all of that. We have to do monthly lesson plans, key sentences and progress reports for each student. How much does their progress change on a month to month basis?

Several times a year we have to perform "special" shows for the parents. I.e. Art show, drama festival, blah blah again.

We have to do a phone journal with our students each week where they call us and have to carry on a conversation for at least 5 minutes.

This is only a summary of what our school requires us to do and in no way reflects the amount of extra time that goes into preparation and planning necessary to please these people. This is only for kindergarten. Don't get me started on my elementary expectations and requirements.

Like I said, I taught before I came here, so this is not a shock to me. But, based upon conversations with other English teachers; no one does nearly this kind of workload for the same amount of compensation

[Crowzone]

My school expects pretty much everything you have outlined here except for these phone journal things where the kids have to talk to you on the telephone.. Thats just weird.

But as for the rest of it, it doesn't sound much different from what I have to do, reports, science - math - art - creative thinking - plus English (Phonics, Grammar, Story time, and Language arts) classes. Then every so often we have festivals, (with one MAJOR one in November) or chorus contests, poetry recitals, song and dance things, etc., etc.

As for how much work it requires of me? Well I must admit at first it definitely took some extra time but after a while I can safely say I'm in the swing of it and can usually whip up a skit or whatever with relative ease.

[The_Conservative]

[richardlang]

I teach twenty 50-minute classes a week at my high school. Each week I hold a casual English teachers' workshop. Every other week, I have an English conversation club, whose members are the 15 students I personally picked from the entire school's 1st and 2nd year students. I don't teach 3rd year students. I plan two lessons a week and so use one lesson for the 1st years and another for the 2nd years.

I have the sweetest language lab, with a huge touchscreen connected to the teacher's desktop computer. A wireless microphone system, too.

I have to make a general assessment of each student's fluency once a semester. The school asked me to make a rubric to evaluate the students' English abilities. I mark them into one of four categories.

I'm satisfied with my job, but want to be paid more.

[poet13]

13.5 contact hours. Awesome, cause I can spend a lot of time making kick butt lesson plans and activities.
Tomorrow or Monday I will start recording my After School Program students in our studio for comparison at the end of the semester.
With so few hours, I can do cool stuff. The school loves it.

[Cerebroden]

i teach 10 classes a day

[laogaiguk]

[goodgood]

I always have to jump in on these things, just so people can tell me I'm a fool.

Approx. 75 25 minute classes a week, plus all of what the op outlined.


35 classes are kindy.


About 2.4 after deductions.

[regicide]

About 22 - 50 minute classes a week. That's 18 clock hours a week. The way it should be.

No meetings.

Arrive about 10 minutes before classes. Leave immediatley after the last one. Villa is 5 minutes away. Can get back there during breaks if I forget something.

Monday through Friday

[poet13]

regicide. You have a very nice schedule. I have few contact hours, but I'm required to be at school from 8:30-5 M-F.

[Satin]

Around 22, 45 minute classes a week. Two middle schools. One school, I can come and go; the other, a bit toward being a stickler for the hours of 8:30 to 4:30 even though I finish teaching by 2:15. Pay is top level one.

Thus far, no major complaints. Beats the heck out of the hagwon hours from last year!

[xCustomx]

I have 18 45minute classes, so around 13.5 hours of class time.

I also have to teach 1 hour to the English teacher and 1 hour to 12 other teachers. In the 4 weeks at the school I've only had to teach 1 of these classes thus far because they've been cancelled for various reasons.

One of the best parts of the job is that I don't take work home with me. At my last job I had to make 6 review exams every month which were usually 4-6 pages in length each, grade them and then make 20-40 report cards. These report cards were in complete detail and contained all the scores of their tests. If I were to combine all of the written sections for all students it would add up to more than 15 pages of text. I'm guessing I spent at least 20 hours a month doing all this crap, and I'm so happy I never have to worry about it again.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Unless there are some very sudden cancellations, I'll be teaching 26 blocks this week, which will be a record for me at public school.

[bosintang]

[Stinky Llama]

All of you have such short classes!

I have 4 three-hour classes (not fun) and 9 two-hours classes a week. On top of that we have to be at the school an additional 10 hours a week and there's still a huge load of work to take home (lots and lots of essays, planning, report cards, etc.).